


choice and control

by mermaidhanji



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Other, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 08:24:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15408930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermaidhanji/pseuds/mermaidhanji
Summary: Fjord is still unsettled by his power. Mollymauk does one of the many things he does best: offer advice.





	choice and control

**Author's Note:**

> hi i was sick today and my pal wrote some goodass fjollies that made me want to slam out some goodass fjollies so here i am
> 
> u kno they're both trans and also tagged as other cause u also kno molly is genderfluid af thanks have a good gay

It had to be at least midnight by now, Molly guessed. The comforting moonlight streamed into their shared room through the open window, and with it a whirl of chill night air, but beneath his blankets, Molly was unbothered.

It seemed he was the only one, though. Fjord was sitting upright on the opposite bed, stripped to breeches and binder with his falchion in hand. The _drip, drip_ of everlasting seawater echoed against the floorboards, and the smell of brine wafted to Molly's nose. The big yellow eye, the same Fjord sank into his belly, stared unblinking from the hilt; Fjord stared back, contemplative. It was funny how Fjord's eyes looked similar to the thing's, Molly thought, at least in a superficial sense. A yellow glow cut through with slits like flint, but that’s where the similarities ended. Fjord's eyes could be kind, and soft, and wrinkled at the corners when he genuinely laughed; but they were so weighted and guarded, as well. Whatever watched Fjord… it was something otherworldly, eerie in a way that gave Molly a ghost of a shiver.

“That thing still bothering you?” Molly asked, quiet, but still like a thunderclap in the silence. Fjord looked up, and Molly could see how he jerked as if to flash it into nothingness once more, but the movement stilled.

“… Yeah,” Fjord finally muttered. “Sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Molly shrugged. “I was in and out.”

Fjord nodded, and his gaze was drawn back down to his weapon.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more with that.” Molly lay on his belly, arms folded atop his pillow, and he jerked his head to the falchion. “You would think there'd be at least a little more up in here,” he tapped his skull with a smirk, “about such weird shit.”

That earned a small chuckle. “Don’t worry about it, Molly.”

Despite the laugh, Fjord still held the blade with a wariness Molly knew all too well, and it made something twist in his stomach.

“Hey.” Molly drew Fjord's attention back, and the tiefling smiled. “Don’t worry about it right now. I don’t know what in the hells is going on with my abilities, either; I wouldn’t let it get in the way of your living.”

“I appreciate it.” Fjord tried to pull off that smooth expression of his, but it waned with unease. He opened his mouth, closed it again. “I just…” His face was unreadable, as always. Molly waited patiently.

“I don’t like being in the dark,” Fjord admitted, hushed in the cool salty air. “I… need to know what’s happening. I need to feel I'm in control.”

“Really? Always took you for a bottom,” Molly teased. He laughed, maybe a little too loud for the hour, at Fjord’s exasperated sigh. “Sorry, you set yourself up for that one.”

“I really did,” he muttered.

“But,” Molly continued, “I know what it’s like, to not know what’s happening to you.” Fjord looked like he wanted to say something, but seemed to decide against it, so Molly carried on. “What I do may not work for you—different people and all that. But honestly? I just run right in the other direction.”

Fjord looked amused. “I can see that.”

“And look how free I am.” Molly flopped on his back with his arms spread wide, and the blanket twisted down to reveal his chest. He smirked at Fjord’s quick glance of skin. “The added benefits are nice, of course. I can pack an extra punch in combat, have a light if need be, blind our enemies with their own blood, speed up sobriety,” he counted on his long fingers, “But when it comes to the baggage with it? Fuck it. You don’t owe it anything.” He gestured to the dripping falchion again. “So who knows how you ended up with that thing, and your witch powers, and your weird dreams. So what? You’re still you. A Fjord drenched in seawater is still Fjord.”

The half-orc laughed at that, genuinely, and it made something flutter in Molly.

“I don’t mean to get all preachy here,” Molly elaborated, “I guess I'm just trying to say that you don’t need to let whatever that is get in the way of you. Don’t worry about it.” They sat up with a clever smile. “You can have control by choosing to say: fuck it.”

Fjord blinked, surprised. Molly laid back with satisfaction as his friend processed the revelation.

“Damn,” Fjord murmured. “You may be right.”

“I usually am.”

Fjord snorted, but it was good-natured. Molly cuddled back into the blankets with a grin.

“That’s just one way to look at it. If you still need to find answers for you, that’s fine, too,” Molly assured; the curl of his lips lingered in the dark, like a secret. “Whatever you choose, I've got your back. We all do.”

Fjord was quiet for a moment, but it was never stony between the two of them. Instead, his scarred face softened with a smile. “Thank you, Molly.”

“No problem.”

Fjord's eyes drifted back to the falchion once more, but with a sure movement, it vanished, and the strong line of his shoulders loosened.

Molly turned to the wall, but behind closed eyes was the image of Fjord, smiling and outlined with moonlight. “You change and get some sleep, okay?”

“I will,” Fjord rumbled. “Goodnight."

“Goodnight.”


End file.
